Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-07-03

lest she should be hurt. Plunging into
the fray with a curse, he exercised his
great strength, throwing the men this way
and that like ninepins, and finally drag
ging Silas to his feet again.
Gomez he shouted, take him out Of
this" and accordingly, with taunts and
oblOquy, the poor old man, whose fringe
of white locks was red with blood, was
kicked and dragged and pushed on to the
veranda, then off it on to the drive, where
he fell over the body ofthe murdered Kafir
boy, and finally hauled up to the open
space by the flagstaff, on which the Union
Jack, that he had planted there some two
months before, still waved bravely in the
breeze. Here he sank down upon the grass,
his back against the flagstaff, and asked
family for some water. Bessie, who, was
weeping bitterly, and whose heart felt as
though it were bursting with anguish and
indignation, pushed her way through the
men, aud, running to the house, got some
in a glass and brought it to him. One OF
the brutes; tried to knock it out Of heI
hand, but she avoided him and gave it to
her uncle, who drank it greedily.
Thank you, love, thank you," he said;
don't be frightened, / amt much hurt.
All! if only John had been here, and we had
had an hours notice, we would have held
the place against them ALL"
Meanwhile one of the Beers, getting on
the shoulders of another, had succeeded in
uutying the cord on which the Union Jack
was bent and hauling it down. Then they
reversed it and hOisted it half-mast high,
aud began to cheer for the republic.
perhaps Uncle Silas does not know that
we are a republic again now" said one OF
the men, a near neighbor Of his own, III
mOckeTy.
What do you mean by a republic
asked the old man. The TranSvaal is
British colony"
There was 4 boot of derisiOn at this,
1.-THE English government has Surren'
dered, " said the same man. "The country
is given up, and the British are to evacuate
it in six months"
at is q lie!' said SilaS, springing to his
feet, "a cowardly lie! Whoever says that
the English have given up the country to
II few thousand blarkguards like you, and
deserted it's subjects and the loyals and the
natives, is a LARA liar from hell!'
There was another howl of mockery al
this Outburst. and when it had subsidized
Frank Muller stepped forward.
1T is no lie, Silas Croft" he said, land
the towards are not we Beers, who have
beaten you again and again, but your sol
diers, who have done nothing but run
away, and your government, that follows
the example of your soldiers. Look here
and he took "a pape out of his pocket
you know that signature, | suppose; it is
that of one of the triumvirate. Listen ia
what he says" and he read aloud:
"WELL-BELOrED HER MULLER,-This
is to inform you that, by the strength OF
our arms fighting for the right and freedom,
and also by the cOwardiCe of the British
government. geperals, and soldiers, we
have by the will ofthe Almighty concluded
this day a glorious peace with the enemy.
The British government surrenders nearly
everything except in the name. The re-
public is to he reestablished, and the sol,
diers who are left will leave the land within
six months. Make this known to every
one, and forget not to thank God for oul
glorious victories"
The Beers shouted aloud, as we'll they
might, and Bessie wrung her hands. A;
tor the old man, he leaned against the flag
staff, and his CORY head sank upon his
breast as though he were about to faint,
Then suddenly he lifted it,, and with
clinched and quiveriug fists held high ir
the air, broke out into such a torrent o.
blasphemy and cursing that even the Beers
fell back for a moment, dismayed into
silence by the force of the fury wrung from
his utter humiliation.
1t was an appalling sight to see this
good and godtearing old man, his face
bruised, his gray hairs dabbled with blood,
and his clothes nearly rent from his body,
stamp and reel to and fro, disappearing hi:
Maker, and the day that he was born
hurling excavations at his beloved country
and the name of Englishmau and the gov
eminent that had deserted him, till at last
nature gave out, and he fell in a ut, there
in the very shadow of his dishOnored flag,